the real problem for someone like rv65 is: Does he already know how important this or that feature is to him?

I totally agree. In my own clumsy way I have been trying to broaden the conversation so that rv65 can sort out how the D80 and 30D fit his/her needs.

Tom wrote:

Here, I said it: the D80 has cons

Since we are being brutally honest here I have to admit that the 400D/XTi has cons as well. All those different modes go straight over my head. All I want is a way to quickly set ISO, aperture priority, shutter priority and fully automatic, preferably without having to fiddle with controls on the back of the camera.

However, I am totally convinced that I made the right decision to go with the Canon lens system. Not that the Nikkor lenses aren't great but Canon fits my present and future needs better.

Hope the weather in Germany is more camera friendly than the continual rain we are enduring here in England!

Always suprised to see how much some Nikon's people are biased, or would I say intentionally blind ?
Best flash metering !!!! Look to some tests made with D40 and D80 with a large dark zone in center of the the view : Catastrophic! D200 is better, ouf!
Have been looking for monthes beetwen Canon and Nikon to find the best camera for me and concluded that if you want to compare side by side, look to Nikon D200 and Canon 30D, that would be fair.
I been lucky and tested both during a while. D200 is well made, definitely. I have read somewhere "made like an Abraham". That not sure, but it's big, heavy and spotty. D30 is lighter, smaller, its shape is smoother and it's fully reliable, like D200.
Found 30D easier to customize. It goes "strait to the necessary", not D200 with lot of "professional" functions (who use daily ?).
Considering light metering and auto focus, did'nt find any noticeable difference between both. They work slightly different but at the end they do the same : very well in both cases.
D200 gives more contrasty pictures, seems (I say "seems") more creaspy, with higher colour saturation. But where is the truth ? Sometimes mother nature request nuances that D200 is difficult to reproduce and one's more you can adjust parameters with both.
High sensibility is better with Canon, stated.
Price ? First, 30D is going to be replaced. That means it's time to buy, found mine at equivalent 1000 $, in Europe !! D200 is more expensive, first, and I find crasy to buy it without Nikon Capture. So it costs more, definitely.
You can find all necessary lenses in both Nikon and Cannon, plus other like Sigma and Tamron, etc. which are cheaper. Saying that Nikon zoom 18-200 VR is the best ... Stupid, what's about distortion, vignetting, size, and price (again) ?
Conclusion : Try both, make your own opinion and you will get . The target is : Take pleasure making photos with the NikoCanon or OlymPentax you love and the rest (mine is better than yours ) is rubbish !

Well, here's the first question to you:
Which 11x zoom is better than the Nikkor 18-200mm?
And the second one: Don't just state something, but prove it: So where is the test that says that any of the other super-zooms out there is better than the Nikkor?

And here's the next challenge for you: I didn't say "the best flash metering", I said "best flash-system". This leads to other questions for you:
- Which is the best flash system?
- Where is the test to prove it?
- Which one have you used personally (not just for shooting a "black carton")?

If you prove me wrong in all accounts, you're entitled to go on flaming

Oops ! Sorry tombomba2, it seems your get stick on the first sentence of my message, which I maintain, not on the conclusion. Who write things like "the world-leading 18-200mm VR superzoom" or "best flash system of any camera" ?
I only said that I tried both D200 and 30D for me and for what I do with, mainly night and day landscapes and portraits, the 30D is better and cheaper, full stop.
Of course it is going to be replaced, but not because it is a bad camera, it's all the contrary. It's only because of its age (!) and for commercial reasons (!!).
That means, and I said it, that you can get it at a fair price. To be precise, I choosed to buy D30 + Sigma 17-70 = 1228 € instead of D200 + 18-70 + Capture (mandatory) = 1718 €. You would have done the opposite ? That's your choice, not mine, good gracious !
For me, both cameras are very near and both are far better than D80 and ,huhu!, D40X (Don't speak of musical capabilities of this last one, a joke). One is more bulky, semi tropicalised (not the front lens, sh.t!) and show 2 more megapixels. The other is easier to use (sorry, I tried both and this is what I concluded), give smoother colours and is better for night shots. Comparing zooms, what I found : Sigma one is faster, shows better distortion figures, vignets a lot less and, again, is cheaper. Why would I choose 18-70 VR ? For ultrasonic motor, that's all, la belle affaire !
To resume : I only say that you get equivalent things with Nikon paying 20 to 50% more !

... and for Bob : weather is so-so in France too. The good new is : NO rain from 2 days, can you imagine that ?